Lucifer's Daughter (13 page)

I listened in disbelief. This was Heaven? All my life, I"d expected something more. Something grander. But it sounded like the politics and machinations of Heaven were no better than my father"s. At least my father was honest about it, though. Funny, the Devil being honest.

Seriously though, my father took an active part in the world. Yes, his minions tended to lead people down the path of misdeeds, but perhaps if the angels of Heaven did more to encourage people to follow the path of light, Hell wouldn"t be so crowded. And contrary to belief, living in the pit wasn"t that bad. Sure, some people got eternally tortured, but we"re talking the worse of worse here: the Hitlers and Attilas of the world. Most regular folk who died and went to Hell still lived a regular life. They still loved and lived and struggled, they just didn"t have to worry anymore about following some stupid code.

I looked at Auric and I knew how his story in paradise ended. “They found you guilty,” I stated.

“Unanimously so. They took my wings and almost all my powers and cast me down to earth.

However, they did decide that as I hadn"t yet treaded the path of evil, I should be given a chance to redeem myself. If I performed an act of great good, rid the world of a huge evil, I"d be welcomed back into Heaven.”

“So you came up with the plan to kill the Devil"s daughter.”

“Not at first. At first, I was pissed and relieved. I now had the freedom to help whomever I wanted, and I did. But again, no matter how much I tried, people still chose the easier path.”

“Maybe because Heaven"s path is too complicated,” I said out loud. Oops. I wanted to slap my hand over my mouth, but Auric smiled ruefully.

“You"re right. It is too complicated.”

“Why did you want to go back?”

“I didn"t, really. It just occurred to me that maybe if I did rid the world of an evil figure, perhaps the world would be a little better.”

“Oh, and I am
so
evil,” I said rolling my eyes.

Auric"s arms wrapped around me tightly and he laughed. “Then I met you, Satana, princess of Hell, and suddenly the perceptions I"d been taught in Heaven didn"t hold true, and I found myself guilty of the same prejudices I had fought against. I judged you without proof. As soon as I met you and talked to you, I realized you were no more evil than I was. You"re just a regular person, trying to live life to the best of her abilities.”

I took offense at regular–I thought I was pretty super myself. “I am not ordinary!” I stated.

“No, you"re not; I think you"re pretty extraordinary myself, but the point I was making was that you weren"t some evil, cackling hag spreading evil through the world. And on that same note, your father isn"t as evil as I took him to be.”

“Oh, my dad is plenty evil,” I corrected.

“But he cares,” said Auric. “It never occurred to me the Devil could love, and yet he loves you, his daughter.”

“Don"t let my dad hear you say that; he doesn"t like to admit to those kinds of things.”

Auric laughed. “I"ll bet he doesn"t. It would ruin his reputation, and make more of us question Heaven"s true purpose and doctrine.”

“Does anyone ever make it to Heaven?” From what he"d told me, it seemed almost impossible.

“Some do, but the numbers are small, which is why I never understood the standoff approach.”

“Let me ask you one last question,” I said, this frank discussion having opened my eyes wider than I thought possible. “Do you still want to go back to Heaven?”

“Honestly?” he said, squeezing me tight while my heart paused its beating to hear his answer.

“No. I"m not saying I want to walk a path of evil and join your father"s hordes, but neither do I want to return to Heaven and the boredom of my life there. If I could be anywhere, I would stay on this earth with you by my side, trying to make a difference when I can.”

“Are you sure, Auric? We"ve only spent one night together. There might still be a chance for you to walk away and go back. If you stay with me, you will lose that chance forever.”

“I"ve found a Heaven I love more, here with you,” he whispered, then turned my face to kiss me.

I kissed him back. He"d assuaged my guilt about loving him, and I forgot about my plan to push him away. Hurting him would be wrong. He"d been betrayed enough and with my love, I wanted to right those wrongs. Perhaps together we could make a difference.

I lost my train of thought as his lips parted mine, and his tongue delved into the recesses of my mouth. Energized by our talk, I kissed him back fiercely. I"d given myself to him before, but to me it"d had a bittersweet edge as I"d expected to have to push him away. Now that I knew he was here to stay, that he would be mine forever, I gave it my all. I opened my heart and let him fully in.

We wrestled for dominance on the bed. I tried to push him on his back to explore him again.

“My turn this time,” he said, with promise; and using his superior male strength–which I loved–

he held my hands above my head, making my breasts stick out proudly, the nipples already pointy nubs waiting for his mouth. Auric liked to tease, I"d noticed, and he did so again, hovering his mouth over my breast, blowing warmly on it, then grazing his rough stubble on the soft skin. My breathing sped up and I twisted in his grip, arching my back, thrusting myself at him. He just chuckled and continued to feather my skin until my whole body, just like a live wire, thrummed with passion and energy.

Turning sideways on the bed so he could keep holding me down, he rubbed his face down the soft, rounded skin of my belly, burying his face for a moment in the curls at the vee of my thighs.

I could feel my juices flowing, my pussy aching for him to touch it. But Auric continued to torture me, blowing hotly against my clit. I bucked my hips hard; for a second I made contact with his hot mouth, and I moaned. Auric moved away and slid back up my body, making me mewl.

I couldn"t handle the torture anymore. I needed him desperately. I wanted to turn the tables, and I did. Remembering my increased power and knowing I was highly charged after our lovemaking, I pushed a bit with my power and flipped our positions so that I was on top holding him down.

His eyes widened, then he smiled; such a breathtaking, loving sight that I let go of his hands to cup his face and kiss him. His hands gripped my waist, lifting me and sliding me back, „til I perched above his cock, the swollen head nudging my wet lips. I sat down hard on his shaft, impaling myself on his length. He sucked in a breath and his fingers dug into my waist. I leaned up into a sitting position and splayed my hands on his chest, swinging my hair back. I looked at him, lying there flushed, his body straining, but I wanted to see another face. I wanted to see the face he wore when he came.

I rode him like a cowgirl rides her horse–and her man–bouncing my bottom up and down on his cock, each thrust pushing him deeper inside me. And each time I rammed him in, his breathing came a little faster, his movements a little less controlled. I increased my pace, leaning forward to dangle my tits in his face, moaning myself when he flicked his tongue out against my nipples.

This new position put a sweet friction on my clit that made me shiver in delight. My pelvic muscles quivered, squeezing his cock tighter and tighter. I moved back up to a sitting position again, panting just as quickly as he was. My rhythm became almost frantic, but I kept my eyes open. When he shouted my name and came deep inside of me, I saw his face. He opened his eyes, the green of them blazing, the love in them so fierce, so strong I screamed and my body shattered into a million blazing pieces. My heart joined me in exploding with joy, and I thought I would die from the pleasure.

Slowly, I came back down to earth. My body cradled into his, his face nuzzled into my hair. And with my lover, my angel Auric, I fell asleep smiling.

I was no longer alone. I"d found love.

“What"s your favorite doughnut?” he asked as he nibbled on my neck.

“French crueler. Why, do you make doughnuts, too?” I said, rolling over with a smile to see him up on one elbow in my bed, looking deliciously rumpled.

“No, but the coffee shop across the street does. I"ll pop over for a second and grab us something.

If any demons show up, save some for me, will you?”

I smiled at his comment. Protective he might be, but at least he also respected my ass-kicking abilities. Of course, being at my place, we had nothing to worry about.

He hopped out of bed, his firm buttocks rippling as he found his scattered clothing. I rolled onto my tummy and watched him, feeling a different kind of hunger altogether.

“Let"s skip breakfast and go right to fun,” I said.

Auric turned around grinning. My smile deepened to see his cock already semi-hard. “If I wasn"t afraid we"d pass out from hunger, I would. Don"t worry, though, I have plans for you after breakfast.”

That sounded promising. I let him finish dressing, giggling as he tried to stuff his hard shaft into his pants. He finally managed it by leaving the room, because apparently, I was too distracting. I heard the door to the apartment close, and I sat up, letting the sheet fall away from my naked body. My naked, sated body.

I suddenly realized something–I wasn"t a virgin anymore! My dad would now have to find something new to harp about. Not only that, I could now brag about my exploits to my sisters.

Another big thrill and bonus? The strength I could feel coursing through me. I felt like I could take on the world, which meant I"d have to be careful until I learned the boundaries of my increased power.

I used the bathroom while Auric fetched us breakfast–even a supernatural like me needed to pee and brush her teeth.

Wandering naked out into my living room, I basked in the warm sunlight coming through the window. What a beautiful day.

I walked over to the window that looked down on the street. Auric had only been gone a moment, and I missed him already. I saw the coffee shop across the way and leaned on my elbows, watching for my lover–giggle--my stud–totally--my Auric, to saunter out. As if thinking conjured him, the shop door opened and he walked out, a coffee tray in one hand, a bag in the other. I pressed my bare boobs up against the window, hoping he"d look up and see them.

When he"d reached the halfway mark in the street, I saw a shimmer as a portal materialized and a bunch of demons stepped out to form a ring around Auric. I immediately recognized the distinctive marks of Azazel, and my heart stuttered to a stop. I pounded on the window and screamed in rage as the demons dove on Auric and pulled his arms behind his back, the coffee splashing to the ground. As a compliment to his prowess, they also threw a noose around his neck, the leash end held by Azazel, a soon-to-be-very-sorry demon. Azazel yanked on the leash, choking my beloved; Auric fell to his knees and they bound his arms behind his back. I saw his tortured face look up at the window, and I knew he saw me. I saw him mouth, “I love you,” and something else which I would have bet anything on was something along the lines of “Don"t you dare save me.” Like I"d listen.

Azazel, seeing Auric ignore him, glanced up at the window where I watched, and I saw him sneer, then wave. With another shimmer, the demons disappeared into another portal, taking Auric with them and leaving me alone with my rage. I also felt something I"d never experienced before–utter fear for another person.

I knew Auric"s capture was a ploy to get to me. Well, I intended to reward them with what they wanted, because I bet they didn"t know about my new kick-ass powers. But they would really soon, and I"d make them sorry they"d ever disturbed a hair on Auric"s head.

New dilemma, though. I needed to get to Hell, and unlike most demons, being a human–albeit a not-so-ordinary one--I couldn"t just open a portal there. I"d need a demon to bring me over.

I found sound clothes appropriate for the pit and threw them on the bed before digging out the phone that connected directly to Hades and my dad.

Phone hugged between my chin and shoulder, I hopped into a pair of black briefs.

After a few rings, a recording came on. “Sorry, but all the lines to Hell are currently busy. Your call is unfortunately not important to us, and we will not be keeping you in queue. Call back again at your own peril.” Cackling, maniacal laughter sounded, followed by a click.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and frowned at it. That had never happened before. If I couldn"t get in touch with my dad, then how would I get to the pit and save my love?

While I finished dressing, I made a mental list of beings I knew who could open a portal. Bambi made the top of my list, and being my closest sister, I figured she"d be my best bet.

I dialed her number, and the phone rang and rang; I almost hung up before her voicemail picked up. The recording sounded rushed. “Gone back home to deal with some trouble. Hope I"ll make it back. And little lamb, if this is you, do not, I repeat do not follow.”

The message did not have a beep at the end, and instead hung me up. Suddenly afraid, but needing to be sure, I called all the minions and relatives of Hell I knew in the area. One after another their phones either didn"t answer or I got strange messages implying trouble back home.

What was going on? Had the coup my father scoffed at actually managed to cause some damage?

Was my dad in danger? Even suckier, everybody else seemed to have been called back to Hell; everyone, that is, except me.

No fair. I could kick ass with the best of them. I resented the fact that my possible mortality made them think I couldn"t help. That they just expected me to stay home, while everybody else did their part.

And what about Auric? He needed me, too. In fact, I wondered if perhaps his kidnapping might be tied into the whole situation going on back home in the pit.

I needed to find out more, but I"d run out of people to call. If only I had the power to open a portal myself.

I sat down on my couch, dejected. And to think I"d dressed in my combat best: skin-tight black leggings, a black sleeveless tee which hugged my torso, and black running shoes–all fire retardant, of course.